Housing body and method for production thereof

ABSTRACT

A package body ( 1 ) with an upper side ( 2 ), with an underside ( 22 ), opposite from the upper side ( 2 ), and with a side surface, which connects the upper side ( 2 ) and the underside ( 22 ) and is provided as a mounting surface ( 19 ), the package body ( 1 ) having a plurality of layers ( 8 ) which contain a ceramic material, and a main direction of extent of the layers ( 23, 24, 25 ) running obliquely in relation to the mounting surface ( 19 ). Furthermore, a method for producing a package body ( 1 ) is provided.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/921,368 which was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office onOct. 31, 2008, and which is a U.S. national stage of application No.PCT/EP2006/000778, filed on 5 May 2006. Priority is claimed from Germanpatent application no. 10 2005 024 668.0 filed May 30, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a package body and to a method for itsproduction.

2. Description of the Related Art

A package body of this type may be used for a component which, becauseof its lateral radiation, is referred to as a laterally emittingcomponent (a so-called “sidelooker”). The laterally emitting componentmay be produced in various ways. For example, it may be produced on thebasis of a leadframe.

The laid-open application EP 0 400 175 A1 discloses a sidelooker whichhas a metallic carrier as a leadframe with electrical terminals, asemiconductor chip being applied to one of the terminals. Thesemiconductor chip and some of the terminals are encapsulated with apolymer, for example with thermosets or thermoplastics, after theapplication of the semiconductor chip, the polymer forming the packageof the sidelooker. The sidelooker may emit and/or receive infrared orvisible light.

In the case of a laterally emitting component comprising a package witha polymer material of this type there is the risk of degradation ormaterial fatigue of the package under radiation at a wavelength belowapproximately 500 nm. This can reduce the service life of the componentconsiderably.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a package body havingan increased service life. In particular, degradation of the packagebody is intended to be avoided at comparatively short wavelengths below500 nm.

A further object of the invention is to provide a laterally emittingcomponent having an increased service life which is not susceptible todegradation, in particular even at comparatively short wavelengths below500 nm.

Another object of the invention is to provide a production method forsuch a package body. This object is achieved by a method according toPatent Claim 25.

The package body has an upper side, an underside, opposite from theupper side, and a side surface, which connects the upper side and theunderside and is provided as a mounting surface, the package body havinga plurality of layers which contain a ceramic material, and a maindirection of extent of the layers running obliquely in relation to themounting surface.

The layered construction of the package body from a plurality of layerswhich contain a ceramic material makes particularly simple production ofthe same possible. The layers may be stacked one on top of the other asgreen sheets and subsequently sintered. In this case, a green sheet isto be understood as meaning an unsintered ceramic layer, which in thisstate can still undergo forming, that is to say it can be furtherprocessed, for example by cutting, punching or stamping. By subsequentsintering of the green sheets, good adhesion between the individuallayers can be achieved. This allows the risk of delamination to bereduced, which has positive effects on the stability or longevity of thepackage body.

The layers are preferably arranged obliquely in relation to the mountingsurface. Particularly preferably, the layers are arranged orthogonallyin relation to the mounting surface. This can be realized for example bythe layers being formed in a planar manner and an underside of a firstlayer being arranged on an upper side of a second layer, arranged afterthe first layer. This arrangement of layers can be continued as often asdesired, it being possible to form a stack of layers of any desiredsize. A side surface of the stack of layers formed in this way serves asthe mounting surface of the package body.

By contrast with conventional package bodies, the package body accordingto the invention is also intended to be suitable for a laterallyemitting component with a radiation emission in the infrared or visiblerange, in particular also for a laterally emitting component for theemission of radiation in the UV or near-UV range, the wavelength of theradiation preferably being below approximately 500 nm, with particularpreference below approximately 475 nm or even 430 nm. Theunsusceptibility of the package body to degradation, in particular by UVradiation, is decisively determined in part by the material that is usedfor the package body. A ceramic material generally proves to beunsusceptible to UV radiation. With preference, the package bodyaccording to the invention comprises a UV-stable material, withparticular preference Al₂O₃ or AlN. These two materials also prove to beextremely advantageous with regard to dissipating the heat producedduring operation from the package body, to avoid thermally inducedfailures, since their thermal conductivity is comparatively great. Forexample, the thermal conductivity of Al₂O₃ at temperatures between 30and 100° C. is about 18 to 30 W/mK and of AlN is about 30 to 180 W/mK.By contrast, conventional polymers have a thermal conductivity which isoften below 1 W/mK.

The points mentioned above, that is to say a reduced risk ofdelamination along with reduced degradation at UV or near-UV radiationand, finally, improved heat dissipation, contribute crucially to thelongevity of the package body and, if the package body is used for alaterally emitting component, to an improved service life of the same.

The package body preferably has electrically conducting chip connectionareas. Particularly preferably, a first electrically conducting chipconnection area is a wire connection area. Most particularly preferably,a second electrically conducting connection area is a chip area.Consequently, in the case of an arrangement of a radiation-generatingsemiconductor chip in the package body, the semiconductor body can beconnected by means of a conductor, preferably by means of a wireconnection, to the wire connection area and also mounted on the chiparea. In this case, the wire connection area forms a first electricalcontact for the semiconductor body and the chip area forms a secondelectrical contact for the semiconductor body.

Each chip connection area may be applied directly to one of the layerscontaining a ceramic material. With particular preference, the wireconnection area is arranged on a first layer, while the chip area isarranged on a second layer that is different from the first layer.

In this case, each chip connection area may have a small thickness. Thethickness preferably lies in the range between 10⁻⁶ m and 10⁻⁵ m;particularly preferably, the thickness is 8 μm. In the case of theinvention, the chip connection area does not have to be formed as acarrier or in a self-supporting manner, so that the chip connection areadoes not have to meet any special requirements for mechanical stability.It is merely necessary for the electrical conductivity to be ensured,which is expediently achieved by the use of a metal. A low overallheight of the component can be advantageously realized by the smallthickness of the chip connection areas and of interconnects which areconnected to the chip connection areas.

The chip connection area is preferably applied to a ceramic-containinglayer in the form of a metal-containing liquid or paste, particularlypreferably in the form of a metal ink, and cured. For example, theliquid or paste may contain tungsten. Particularly preferably, theliquid or paste is printed onto the layer and cured.

With respect to the risk of detachment of the chip connection areas, thesame as already mentioned above applies: the ceramic-containing layersmay be sintered with the chip connection areas, whereby an adhesionpreventing detachment is produced.

In the case of a preferred refinement of the invention, the package bodyhas at least one electrically conducting via hole (“via”). The via holemay run from the radiation exit side, along the mounting surface, to theunderside. It is preferably thereby arranged in such a way that it isconnected in an electrically conducting manner to at least oneinterconnect, which connects a via hole to a chip connection area. Theinterconnect may be arranged between two ceramic layers.

The via hole is preferably formed in such a way that it is similar to ahalf-tube or half-cylinder, that is to say the form of the via hole issimilar to a tube or a cylinder that is separated along the centralplane. This form can be advantageously realized in a simple manner by acylindrical depression being introduced into the green sheets obliquelyin relation to the upper side of the green sheets prior to sintering.Subsequently, the depression may be lined or filled galvanically with ametal-containing material. The cylindrical depression is separated atthe end in such a way that a via hole similar to a half-tube orhalf-cylinder is produced.

Furthermore, the via hole may be described as similar to a channel, thecross section of which may be formed as round, oval, rectangular orpolygonal.

The via hole is advantageously surrounded on the upper side and/orunderside by metallization. For example, the metallization may bearcuately formed. It preferably matches the form of the via hole. Themetallization facilitates the exact positioning of the package body on aprinted circuit board during mounting. This is important for theelectrical connection to be ensured. Furthermore, the metallization maycontribute to the package body centring itself during the IR or reflowsoldering.

For arranging a radiation source, for example a radiation-emittingsemiconductor chip, the package body has a recess. The recess ispreferably arranged in such a way that the radiation emitted from thecomponent can be coupled into a further element with little loss. Forexample, the further element is a light guide, which may be connected toa carrier. For this purpose, the recess may extend up to closer to theside surface that is opposite from the mounting surface than to themounting surface.

The recess is advantageously formed as a reflector. For example, therecess may taper in a funnel-shaped manner from the upper side in thedirection of the underside. Furthermore, the surface of the recess maybe covered with a reflection-increasing layer. This allows the radiationto be concentrated and so the intensity of the laterally emittedradiation to be increased.

A dimension between an edge of the recess and an edge of the packagebody is preferably approximately 0.3 mm. With particular preference, thedimension is greater than 0.3 mm. Such a dimension allows the radiationthat is transmitted through the package body to be reduced and adisadvantageous radiation distribution of the laterally emittingcomponent to be prevented.

The handling of the package body can be made easier by suitable choiceof the ratio of the height of the package body to the thickness of thepackage body. The height of the package body is in this case to beunderstood as meaning the dimension of the edge running obliquely inrelation to the mounting surface. The thickness is to be understood asmeaning the dimension of the edge running obliquely in relation to theupper side. The ratio of the height to the thickness is preferablybetween 1:1 and 2:1.

In this case, tipping of the package body in a packaging tape can beavoided by a ratio greater than 1:1. Furthermore, adequate stability ofthe package body can be ensured by observance of the upper limit, sothat the risk of the package body tipping over during mounting isadvantageously low. The specified ratio relates to a package body inwhich all side surfaces are arranged approximately at right angles toone another.

In a preferred refinement, the package body may be used for a laterallyemitting component. For the purpose of generating radiation, thelaterally emitting component has at least one radiation source,preferably a radiation-emitting semiconductor chip, which is arranged inthe recess. By suitable choice of the number of semiconductor chips thatare used, components of different rated output can be advantageouslyproduced.

In the case of a preferred embodiment, at least two semiconductor chipswhich emit radiation of different wavelengths are arranged in therecess. With appropriate choice of the wavelengths, not onlymulticoloured light but also mixed-coloured light, preferably whitelight, can be generated by mixing the radiation. This extends the rangeof application possibilities for the laterally emitting component. Forexample, white light is also desired for backlighting a display.

Furthermore, with semiconductor chips which emit radiation of the samewavelength, multicoloured or mixed-coloured light can likewise begenerated by use of a conversion element. In this case, the conversionelement is arranged downstream of a semiconductor chip and canencapsulate it for example with positive engagement.

Furthermore, a combination of a conversion element with semiconductorchips which generate radiation of different wavelengths is conceivable.

The semiconductor chip may be surrounded by an encapsulating material,preferably by a silicone resin or suitable UV-stable epoxy resin.Furthermore, mixtures of a silicone resin and a UV-stable epoxy resin orof other UV-stable materials or resins are conceivable.

The encapsulating material may serve both as protection against negativemechanical effects and for reducing reflection losses at the interfacebetween the semiconductor chip and the surroundings. The service life ofthe radiation emitting component and at the same time the coupling-outefficiency can therefore be advantageously increased by the use of asuitable encapsulating material.

In the case of an advantageous embodiment, an optical element,preferably a lens, may be arranged downstream of the semiconductor chipfor further beam shaping or concentration. The optical element may bearranged in the recess and/or protrude from the recess.

The package body or the laterally emitting component is preferablymounted on a printed circuit board. Both the electrical supply to thepackage body or the laterally emitting component and the heatdissipation from the laterally emitting component may advantageouslytake place via the printed circuit board.

For the electrical supply, the printed circuit board is provided withinterconnects, which are arranged in such a way that they permitsimplest possible electrical connection of the interconnects to the viaholes. For example, the interconnects of the printed circuit board mayrun in straight lines.

Furthermore, for cooling the package body, the printed circuit board maycontain a material with good heat conduction. For example, the printedcircuit board is a metal-core circuit board. For optimum transfer of theheat generated in the package body or laterally emitting component tothe printed circuit board, adequately large heat-conducting surfaces,for example solderable surfaces, are provided on the underside of thepackage body. The size of the surface area may be obtained from the sizeof a single contiguous area or from the sum of the sizes of a pluralityof areas that are not contiguous.

In the case of a method for producing a package body with an upper side,with an underside, opposite from the upper side, and with a sidesurface, which connects the upper side and the underside and is providedas a mounting surface, which package body has a plurality of layerswhich contain a ceramic material, a sheet is divided into a plurality ofpackage bodies. In this way, a package body can be produced particularlyeasily.

This manner of production is favourable for the mass production ofpackage bodies and laterally emitting components, allowing costs to besaved in comparison with individual fabrication.

The sheet is preferably formed by a stack of ceramic layers. In thiscase, it advantageously has recesses on an upper side. After the sheethas been divided up into a plurality of package bodies, the upper sidecorresponds to the upper side of a package body. Particularlypreferably, the package bodies are of the same form and size, so that aregular arrangement of the recesses on the upper side is of advantage.

The sheet advantageously has a planar upper side. In this case, therecesses can be distributed on the upper side like the grid points of agrid.

The package body is intended to have on the mounting surface via holesthat are for example similar to a half-tube or half-cylinder. For theirproduction, the sheet is advantageously provided with tube-like orcylinder-like via holes, preferably by tube-like or cylinder-likedepressions first being introduced into the green sheets beforesintering. These depressions may be lined with an electricallyconducting layer or filled with an electrically conducting material,preferably a metal, by means of electroplating. A sufficiently greatdistance between the via holes must be ensured in this case, in orderfor example to avoid a short-circuit during subsequent operation if thepackage body is used for a laterally emitting component.

The via holes formed in this way are uncovered in an efficient wayduring the dividing-up operation. This is achieved in the case of theinvention by the via holes, which are preferably arranged along parallelrunning straight lines between two adjacent recesses, being separated.The sheet can be separated along the parallel running lines.Particularly preferably, the sheet is divided up in such a way that thevia holes are asymmetrically separated.

The asymmetrical separating along a straight line is advantageouslycarried out in such a way that a first package body has on the mountingsurface via holes that are well formed for the electrical conduction,while a second package body, adjacent to the first package body,generally has no via holes, or remains of the separated via holes, onthe side surface that is opposite from the mounting surface.

Before the separating, the later mounting surface of the first packagebody is adjacent to the later side surface of the second package bodythat is opposite from the mounting surface. This type of separating isextremely efficient, since no scrap is produced when the sheet isdivided up. Furthermore, as a result, the production time can beminimized, because the package bodies are of the correct size afterseparating, dispensing with the need for secondary finishing.

A preferred method for the asymmetrical separating is that ofasymmetrically sawing through the sheet, preferably along the parallellines. In this case, it must be ensured that substantially an upper halfof the via holes is preserved on the later mounting surface of the firstpackage body, while substantially a lower half of the via holes isremoved by a sawing track, so that a smooth, planar surface is producedon the later side surface of the second package body that is oppositefrom the mounting surface. It is of advantage if this side surface,which may serve as a surface for attachment by suction during componentloading, to be formed in such a way that it is particularly smooth,since it can then be sucked into place more easily.

Before the sheet is divided up, a radiation-emitting semiconductor chipmay be preferably mounted in every recess.

After production, the package body may be arranged on a printed circuitboard, to be precise in such a way that the via holes are contacted byinterconnects of the printed circuit board.

The laterally emitting component may be advantageously used forapplications in which a low component height is desired. This is sobecause the lateral radiation allows the component to be arrangedlaterally with respect to an element that is to be illuminated in ahorizontal plane with the latter. In the case of a vertically radiatingcomponent, on the other hand, it is to be arranged downstream of theelement to be illuminated in the vertical direction, whereby the overallheight of the component may be increased. Furthermore, a laterallyemitting component is favourable for light to be coupled into a lightguide that is formed for example in a planar manner.

For example, a laterally emitting component may be used for thebacklighting of mobile phone displays, mobile phone keypads or LCDs.Furthermore, it may be advantageously used in navigation systems,flashing indicators or high-temperature applications.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description considered in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that thedrawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as adefinition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should bemade to the appended claims. It should be further understood that thedrawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwiseindicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate thestructures and procedures described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 a, 1 b and 1 c show a schematic front view, a schematiccross-sectional view and a schematic rear view of a first exemplaryembodiment of a package body according to the invention,

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b, 2 c and 2 d show a schematic front view, a schematiccross-sectional view, a schematic longitudinal sectional view and aschematic rear view of a first layer of the package body according tothe invention according to the first exemplary embodiment,

FIGS. 3 a, 3 b and 3 c show a schematic front view, a schematiccross-sectional view and a schematic rear view of a second layer of thepackage body according to the invention according to the first exemplaryembodiment,

FIGS. 4 a, 4 b and 4 c show a schematic front view, a schematiccross-sectional view and a schematic rear view of a third layer of thepackage body according to the invention according to the first exemplaryembodiment,

FIG. 5 shows a schematic plan view of a sheet from which the fourpackage bodies are divided up,

FIG. 6 shows a schematic three-dimensional view of an exemplaryembodiment of a laterally emitting component according to the invention,and

FIG. 7 shows a package body mounted on a printed circuit board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The upper side 2, shown in FIG. 1 a, of the package body 1 forms aradiation exit side of a radiation emitting component. The upper side 2is the front side of a first layer, which with a second layer and athird layer arranged downstream of the first layer preferably forms astack of layers, the package body 1 comprising this stack of layers.

The first layer has a recess 6, which tapers from the upper side 2 inthe direction of the second layer.

In the case of the package body 1 represented in FIG. 1 a, three chipareas 7 are provided in the recess 6. A radiation source, preferably aradiation-emitting semiconductor chip, may be arranged on each chip area7. For an electrical connection of each chip, a wire connection area 30and a chip area 7 are respectively provided. Also provided is a via hole3, which is connected to a wire connection area 30 or a chip area 7 bymeans of an interconnect 5.

The via holes 3 preferably contain a metal, particularly preferablytungsten. The via holes 3 are semicircularly formed. They run along themounting surface 19 from the upper side 2 to the underside opposite fromthe upper side 2. The via holes 3 may be formed by cutting outdepressions in the three different layers and lining or filling themwith tungsten, for example by means of electroplating. In this case, themetal layer 11 may serve as an electrode.

In FIG. 1 a, six via holes 3 are represented, two adjacent holes ofwhich in each case are respectively connected to a semiconductor chip inan electrically conducting manner. Furthermore, the two adjacent viaholes 3 in each case respectively form a first electrical contact and asecond electrical contact. Each semiconductor chip is advantageouslyseparately activatable. Alternatively, the semiconductor chips may beconnected in series or parallel.

The metallizations 4 surrounding the via holes 3 on the upper side 2 mayserve like the metallization 10 for the purposes of marking. With theaid of the position of the via hole 3 that is identified by themetallization 4, an electrical connection of the via holes 3 tointerconnects arranged on the printed circuit board can be made easierwhen the package body 1 is mounted on a printed circuit board.Similarly, the metallization 10 makes it easier for the orientation ofthe package body 1 to be established.

Furthermore, the metallizations 4 may contribute to the package body 1centring itself during IR or reflow soldering.

The horizontal line A-A forms the center axis of the recess 6 and runsparallel to the mounting surface 19. It is further away from themounting surface 19 than from the side surface that is opposite from themounting surface 19. The off-center arrangement of the recess 6 has theadvantage that efficient coupling-in of the emitted radiation, forexample into a light guide, is made easier.

The parts of the figure that are represented by dashed lines areelements of the second and third layers and are explained in more detailin conjunction with FIGS. 3 and 4.

In FIG. 1 b, the cross-sectional view of the package body 1 isschematically represented. A stack of layers 8, which comprises threelayers 23, 24, 25 which contain a ceramic material, can be seen.

The layer 23 has the recess 6, which is advantageously formed as areflector. The reflector has to meet the requirement that itconcentrates the radiation emitted by a semiconductor chip arranged inthe recess 6 in such a way that the laterally emitting component has aparticularly high radiation yield. This can be achieved for example byan aperture angle 9 of 90°.

The layer 24 has the chip recess 26, which is adapted in its size to thesize of a semiconductor chip which is arranged in the recess on the chiparea 7.

The layer 25 may contribute for example to the cooling of the component,and consequently to its stability. The thicker this layer is, the moreheat can be absorbed.

For separate mounting of the package body 1, for example on a printedcircuit board, the ratio of the height 21 to the thickness 20 must beconsidered. The ratio is preferably 2:1. For example, the height may be3.2 mm and the thickness 1.65 mm.

In FIG. 1 c, the underside 22 that is opposite from the upper side 2 isschematically represented. The underside 22 has the metallizations 4surrounding the via holes 3 and the metallization 10, which serve asmarkings for the orientation of the package body 1, and the metal layer11 serving as an electrode.

In FIGS. 2A-2D the layer 23 of the package body 1 is schematicallyrepresented in various views.

The layer 23 serves in particular for beam control. For this purpose, ithas the recess 6, through which the radiation generated by the radiationsource arranged under the recess 6 or within the recess (compare FIG. 1a) leaves the laterally emitting component. The beam control may beadvantageously influenced by the form of the recess 6.

Shown in FIG. 2 a is the upper side 2 of the package body 1, which atthe same time forms the radiation exit side of the laterally emittingcomponent. The via holes 3, the metallizations 4 and 10, the electrode11 and the recess 6 are represented. The recess 6 may be ovally formed,as represented. Furthermore, it may taper in a funnel-shaped manner fromthe front side to the rear side of the layer 23.

In FIG. 2 b, the layer 23 is schematically represented in cross section.The layer 23 contains a ceramic material. In production, the layer 23may be partially hollowed out, so that the recess 6 is created. Therecess 6 in this case resembles a truncated cone. It is suitable as areflector, the aperture angle

preferably being 90°. Similarly, the aperture angle 9 of the recess 6represented in cross section in FIG. 2 c is preferably 90°.

In FIG. 2 d, the rear side of the layer 23 is represented. While themetallizations 4 and 10 and the metal layer 11 are applied to the frontand rear sides of the layer 23, the via holes 3 extend from the frontside to the rear side and thereby run along the mounting surface 19.

In FIGS. 3A-3C, the layer 24 of the package body 1 is schematicallyrepresented in various views.

In FIG. 3A, the front side of the layer 24 is shown. This front side isfacing the rear side of the layer 23 in the stack of layers. The layer24 has electrically conductive wire connection areas 30. Each wireconnection area 30 is connected to interconnects 5, the interconnects 5being adjacent to a via hole 3. At the border with the via hole 3, theinterconnect 5 is formed in such a way that the via hole 3 fits exactlyinto the interconnect 5. The via hole 3 is preferably semicircularlyformed at the border with the interconnect 5, while the interconnect 5has a semicircular indentation.

The interconnects 5 may be used to establish an electrical connectionwith semiconductor chips for which the chip depressions 26 are provided.Each semiconductor chip is preferably connected by means of a wire to awire connection area 30 provided for the respective semiconductor chip.

The interconnects 5 are covered by the layer 23, while the wireconnection areas 30 lie exposed in the recess 6.

The chip depressions 26 are introduced into the layer 24. Their sizepreferably corresponds to the size of the chips.

In FIG. 3 a, remains of metallizations 4 can be seen on the side of thefront side that is facing away from the mounting surface 19. These arethe result of the asymmetrical separating of the sheet described aboveto produce individual components.

In FIG. 3 b, a cross section of the layer 24 is schematicallyrepresented. The chip depression 26 preferably extends from the frontside to the rear side of the layer 24. Particularly preferably, the chipdepression 26 approximately forms a cuboidal depression.

In FIG. 3 c, the rear side of the layer 24 is schematically represented.This has the metallizations 4 and 10, serving as marking, as well as thechip depressions 26 and the via hole 3.

In FIGS. 4A-4C, the layer 25 is schematically represented in variousviews.

In FIG. 4 a, the front side of the layer 25 is schematicallyrepresented. This front side is facing the rear side of the layer 24,the rear side covering the front side virtually completely. Only thechip depressions 26 form windows with respect to the layer 25. Throughthese windows, the chip areas 7 can be seen. Chips can be arranged onthe chip areas 7. The interconnects 5 establish an electrical connectionbetween the chip areas 7 and the via holes 3. The interconnects 5 of thelayer 25 are thereby adjacent to different via holes 3 than theinterconnects 5 of the layer 24.

In the exemplary embodiment represented in FIG. 4 a, three chips can bearranged on three separate chip areas 7, the chips being separatelyactivatable. Alternatively, the chips may be connected in parallel orseries and for this arranged on a common chip area.

In FIG. 4 b, a cross section of the layer 25 is schematicallyrepresented. The layer 25 may form a heat sink. In this case, theceramic material preferably contained in the layer 25 proves to beadvantageous.

In FIG. 4 c, the rear side of the layer 25, which at the same time formsthe underside 22 of the package body 1, is schematically represented.

In FIG. 5, a sheet 27, which is divided up into four package bodies 1,is represented. The sheet 27 is preferably formed by a stack of ceramiclayers. Particularly preferably, the stack of layers comprises threelayers. The three layers may be formed in a way corresponding to thelayers 23, 24, 25 that are represented in FIGS. 2 to 4.

Consequently, the first layer of the sheet 27 may have the funnel-shapedrecess 6, which extends from the upper side, which forms the later upperside 2 of the package body 1, to the rear side of the first layer.Arranged downstream of the first layer are the second and third layers.The wire connection areas 30 of the second layer can be seen and thechip areas 7 of the third layer can be seen.

The metallizations 4 applied to the sheet 27 are preferably arrangedalong a straight line 12. The sheet 27 can be separated along this line12. The sheet 27 is advantageously separated in such a way that the viaholes 3 are substantially removed on the side surface 29, while they areuncovered on the mounting surface 19. As a result, the package body 1 isprovided with electrical connection possibilities only on the mountingsurface 19. The side surface 29 is smoothed for the purpose of latermounting of the package body 1, for example on a printed circuit board,in order that it can be loaded with components more easily. For example,the sheet 27 is sawn up along the straight line 12, the sawing trackadvantageously being chosen to correspond to the width of the straightline 12.

Further separating may be carried out along the line 28, the sheet 27thereby being separated for example by means of breaking.

In FIG. 6, a laterally emitting component 31 that can be divided fromthe sheet 27 is shown in perspective by way of example. It has a stackof layers which preferably comprises the layer 23, the layer 24 and thelayer 25. The layer 23 is provided with the recess 6. Arranged in therecess 6 on each chip area 7 is a chip 13, which is connected to a wireconnection area 30 by means of a conductor 14. The chips 13 arepreferably applied to the chip areas 7 with an electrically conductiveadhesive.

The semiconductor chips 13 may differ for example by the wavelength ofthe radiation emitted. The wavelength may, for example, lie in the red,green or blue spectral range.

In FIG. 7, a package body 1 which is mounted on a printed circuit board17 is represented. The handling of the package body 1 during mountingcan be made easier if a ratio of the height 21 to the thickness 20 of2:1 is chosen. During soldering, tipping forces 15 act on the packagebody 1. These forces can be counteracted for example by applyingsymmetrically arranged solder fillets 16. The metal layer 18 mayadvantageously perform the function of an electrically conducting and/orthermally conducting connection between the package body 1 and theprinted circuit board 17.

It should be pointed out that the layers 23, 24 and 25 may be made up ofa number of partial layers.

It goes without saying that the explanation of the invention on thebasis of the exemplary embodiment described is not to be understood as arestriction of the invention. In particular, individual features of theexemplary embodiments may also be combined in some other way.

The scope of protection of the invention is not limited to the examplesgiven hereinabove. The invention is embodied in each novelcharacteristic and each combination of characteristics, which includesevery combination of any features which are stated in the claims, evenif this feature or combination of features is not explicitly stated inthe examples.

Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out fundamentalnovel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodimentthereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutionsand changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and intheir operation, may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expresslyintended that all combinations of those elements and/or method stepswhich perform substantially the same function in substantially the sameway to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention.Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/ormethod steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosedform or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any otherdisclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a generalmatter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limitedonly as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for producing a package body with anupper side, with an underside, opposite from the upper side, and with aside surface, which connects the upper side and the underside and isprovided as a mounting surface, which package body has a plurality oflayers which contain a ceramic material, and a main direction of extentof the layers running at right angles to the mounting surface, themethod of comprising: providing a sheet having a stack of ceramic layersand, on an upper side, which corresponds to the upper side of thepackage body, a plurality of regularly arranged recesses; arranging viaholes, which run from the upper side to the underside, between twoadjacent ones of said recesses, and producing the package body bydividing the sheet into a plurality of package bodies, wherein the sheetis divided into the plurality of package bodies such that the via holesare asymmetrically separated in such a way that a first package body hason the mounting surface via holes that are well formed for electricalconduction, and wherein a second package body, adjacent to the firstpackage body, has no via holes or remains of the separated via holes, ona side surface that is opposite from the mounting surface.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the via holes are sawn through.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein at least one radiation-generatingsemiconductor chip is arranged in the recess before the separating. 4.The method according to claim 1, wherein the package body is arranged ona printed circuit board in such a way that the via holes are contactedby interconnects of the printed circuit board.
 5. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the sheet is provided with tube-like via holesbefore the sheet is divided into a plurality of package bodies.
 6. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein producing the via holes comprisesintroducing tube-like depressions into green sheets before sintering. 7.The method according to claim 1, wherein producing the via holescomprises lining depressions in the sheet with an electricallyconducting layer or filled with an electrically conducting material bymeans of electroplating.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein theseparating of the via holes is carried out in such a way that a firstpackage body has on the mounting surface via holes that are well formedfor the electrical conduction, while a second package body, adjacent tothe first package body, has no via holes, or remains of the separatedvia holes, on the side surface that is opposite from the mountingsurface.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein before theseparating of the via holes, the later mounting surface of a firstpackage body is adjacent to the later side surface of a second packagebody that is opposite from the mounting surface.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the separating of the via holes isachieved by asymmetrically sawing through the sheet in such a way thatan upper half of the via holes is preserved on the later mountingsurface of a first package body, while a lower half of the via holes isremoved by a sawing track, thereby producing a smooth, planar surface onthe later side surface of a second package body that is opposite fromthe mounting surface.
 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein thesheet is divided along a straight line.
 12. A method for producing apackage body with an upper side, with an underside, opposite from theupper side, and with a side surface, which connects the upper side andthe underside and is provided as a mounting surface, which package bodyhas a via hole which extends from the upper side to the underside, andwherein the via hole extends along the mounting surface, the methodcomprising: arranging a plurality of regularly arranged recesses on anupper side of a sheet, wherein the upper side of the sheet correspondsto the upper side of the package body, arranging via holes, which runfrom the upper side to the underside, between two adjacent ones of saidrecesses; and producing the package body by dividing the sheet into aplurality of package bodies, wherein the sheet is divided into theplurality of package bodies such that the via holes are asymmetricallyseparated in such a way that a first package body has on the mountingsurface via holes that are well formed for electrical conduction, andwherein a second package body, adjacent to the first package body, hasno via holes, or remains of the separated via holes on a side surfacethat is opposite from the mounting surface.
 13. A method for producing apackage body with an upper side, with an underside, opposite from theupper side, and with a side surface, which connects the upper side andthe underside and is provided as a mounting surface, which package bodyhas a plurality of layers that contain a ceramic material, and a maindirection of extent of the layers running at right angles to themounting surface, the method comprising: providing a sheet having astack of ceramic layers and, on an upper side, which corresponds to theupper side of the package body, a plurality of preferably regularlyarranged recesses; arranging via holes, which run from the upper side tothe underside, between two adjacent ones of said recesses; and producingthe package body by dividing the sheet into a plurality of packagebodies, wherein the sheet is divided into the plurality of packagebodies such that the via holes are asymmetrically separated and whereinthe separating of the via holes is achieved by asymmetrically sawingthrough the sheet such that an upper half of the via holes is preservedon the later mounting surface of a first package body, while a lowerhalf of the via holes is removed by a sawing track thereby producing asmooth, planar surface on the later side surface of a second packagebody that is opposite from the mounting surface.